You know those albums that don’t click immediately, but then you start to “get” it after a few listens. Sometimes those become the most memorable. I think that will be the case for Smalltape’s new record Tangram. It is set to release today, November 7th.
Smalltape is Philipp Nespital of Germany. He is a sound designer by trade, so his albums always sound amazing from a production angle. So far as I can tell, he plays all the instruments except drums, which are performed by Jan Siekmann and Kevin Reiter.
Philipp offers music that is tough to stick in a genre. It is progressive rock to some extent, but there are abstract, pop, and cinematic elements that give it life. There are moments of jazzy brilliance, soft acoustic tracks, and brilliant keyboard segments that all offer warmth and fire, too. He does his own thing, and pieces the parts together seamlessly.
Tangram has a fascinating structure. It has nine tracks, plus a bonus one; it features a three-part song called “No Time” that is strewn throughout the album like interludes, except these are longer pieces with memorable instrumentals, saxophone, and quiet vocals for the most part. The first part is less than a minute long, the second is almost five, and the third is almost seven. The way it interacts with the rest of the album is beautiful.
That leaves six songs on the album proper, most of which feel like set pieces in a story. “Goodbye” is a strange song at first: the waves of lumbering cinema, the burning atmosphere, the hovering ambient portion. After a few listens, I really began to like it. “Second Chance” comes next and is more immediate with its delicate keys and fiery guitars. I love the second half especially.
With “Phoenix”, the album really hits its stride. This fantastic piece builds slowly and deliberately, and when the woodwinds and roaring instrumental enter, the song is off the charts. This album has so many kinetic portions that often took me by surprise. “Selene” is a good example, as it’s mostly a reserved acoustic track, but the sheer rhythmic energy and sparkling melodies it constructs are terrific and memorable. Philipp really knows how to engage the listener.
The final two tracks are “Gold Digger”, a short and muted piece that leads into “Tesselate”, a song that takes the reserved lead but soon climbs into something that feels like the end of a story, that feels climactic with its excellent guitar solo and sweeping keyboard melodies. It is simply gorgeous. It leads into the bonus track “Behind the Glass”, a purely instrumental piece that should be part of the album itself, I think. It is mostly acoustic ambience and atmospheric touches of the evening, but it does help me wind down after the weight of the closer.
Smalltape never disappoints, but sometimes the albums take time. Philipp is a brilliant composer and sound designer, and you can bet on the experience being fascinating, emotional, and cinematic all at once. Prog rock fans really need to hear his work.
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